wiredinUSA February 2013

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wiredInUSA - February 2013 wiredInUSA - February 2013 39 38
China Unicom has announced that the
first undersea fiber optic cable to link the
Chinese mainland with Taiwan has been
installed. Cable laying work began in
November 2012 to connect Fuzhou,
capital of east China’s Fujian province,
and the city of Danshuei in Taiwan.
The 270km cable will enhance cross-strait
communication and release both sides
from reliance on international fiber
optic cables, said Chang Xiaobing, board
chairman of China Unicom.
The project was initiated by Chinese
mainland telecoms companies China
Mobile, China Unicom and China
Telecom, as well as the Taiwan-based
ChungHwa Telecom, FarEasTone, Taiwan
Mobile and Taiwan International Gateway
Corporation.
Subsea
to Taiwan
ASIA / AFRICA NEWS
Taiwan Intelligent Fiber Optic Network
Consortium (Taifo), a joint venture
established in 2012 specifically to establish
a fiber optic network around Taipei City,
says it has completed the planning stage
of a 105km backbone fiber optic network,
500km of regional fiber optic system, and
1,000km of fiber optic sub-systems.
Taifo signed a contract with the Taipei
City government in early 2012 to deploy a
citywide fiber optic network and operate
fiber optic Internet access services for 25
years. Taifo will finish planning the 6,000km
FTTx connections in March 2013, and will
then start first-phase establishment of the
fiber optic network. The eventual goal is a
network of 8,000km to cover 80 percent of
the city.
Taipei network
plan
Trina Solar has obtained approval from
the Gansu provincial development and
reform commission to develop a 50MW
grid-connected solar power plant project
in Wuwei, Gansu. The project will support
economic stimulus in a region challenged
by semi-desert conditions. The Wuwei
municipality is well suited for solar energy
production for sale to other regions as well
as supplying local needs.
“We are delighted to have been granted
the rights to develop this solar project in
Wuwei, Gansu province,” said Mr Jifan
Gao, chairman and CEO of Trina Solar.
“This project will bring...job opportunities
to the Wuwei region of Gansu [and]
renewable energy which is vital to the
overall economic development of the
region.”
Trina Solar has a history of promoting PV
energy. In 2003 the company completed
the construction of 40 standalone power
stations in Tibet, to provide electricity to
the Chamdo region.
50MW solar project
in Gansu
The Liberia Telecommunications Corpo-
ration (LIBTELCO) has launched Liberia’s
first post-war Internet service. The Africa
Coast to Europe (ACE) communication
cable is a planned 17,000km submarine
fiber optic cable system that will connect
around 25 countries along the west coast
of Africa, including Liberia.
The cable will provide broadband
interconnection to global telecom-
munications and ICT networks. When it
becomes operational, the submarine
cable is expected to provide the fastest
telecommunication services to mobile
phones and the Internet.
The ACE will also enhance post-war
Liberia development, helping create
new business and career opportunities
in technology, providing greater access
to global markets for Liberian goods
and services, giving Liberians improved
access to news and information, and
better access to banking systems and
international financial institutions.
The ACE cable was initiated by LIBTELCO,
and facilitated by the Liberia Telecom-
munications Authority (LTA).
Cable
for Liberia